Past players - what are they up to?

[goswannies]

I lived in SA for a few years and it would have to be even more insular and parochial than Victoria.
The only time you heard or read about ( this was when newspapers were still a thing 😀) a player outside of the two SA teams was when a SA player was due to play in Adelaide. This usually highlighted how they developed their skills in SA and invariably contained reference to them potentially “ returning home “ and conjecture as to whether they would go to the Crows or Port.
It was amusing that they never actually considered that for some players living elsewhere in Australia and being able to get out of the Adelaide fishbowl was quite an attractive proposition.
I assume it’s the same in the republic of Western Australia

I can attest to the parochial locals in SA.

When I first moved to SA, I bought either the Age of Herald Sun to read about my boys (on a students wage with imported prices … I was desperate). I still desperately want to be home in Victoria … 27 years later!

I’ll never forget my first Swans game over here - caught a taxi out to Footy Park to a watch pre-season night game among a cauldron full of parochial, rabid, feral Crows supporters yelling vitriol (at Plugger no less!). Was kind of glad at the time that I hadn’t brought my Swans gear yet. Feared for my safety that night!

Been to all bar one game ever since (pre-season, H&A, finals) and my grudge with goswannette has lasted longer than her friend’s marriage that we attended in 2012 causing me to miss the Swans 2nd qualifying final win against the Crows! Luckily I got to attend the 2012 grand final. The following season the Swans were due to play Port in a pre-season regional challenge match and when I called goswannette to see if she wanted to attend (it was after work on a weekend) so told me we actually had (another) wedding. I politely suggested that it was untenable that I keep missing Swans games for weddings of people I didn’t know. goswannette conceded: I attend the game, and then the reception. She’s a keeper!

And many South Aussies seem to think that if you move to SA that you are expected to follow one of the SA teams by default. When they query why I support the Swans, I tell them that I didn’t abandon them when they moved to Sydney, and they haven’t abandoned me when I moved to Adelaide.

As for buying papers, I was saved by the internet! And there are plenty of SA Swans supporters to attend games with these days.

[rickmat]

Looks like Matthew Ling played well for Geelong VFL side again. Great pity we lost him after investing so many years into him and the bloody injuries he suffered time and again. Looks like he is over his injuries and playing the footy we recruited him for.

[Aprilbr]

Looks like Matthew Ling played well for Geelong VFL side again. Great pity we lost him after investing so many years into him and the bloody injuries he suffered time and again. Looks like he is over his injuries and playing the footy we recruited him for.

Good luck to him but I doubt he will make it back into the AFL. In our case, Campbell seems a similar type of player, smallish half-back left footer, but just far more talented.

[Aprilbr]

I was at the Carlton v Port game yesterday and was amazed how well George Hewitt played for Carlton. He never played a game like that for us! More of a handy shutdown mid with us but for Carlton he was in everything and quite offensive. On the other hand, Aliir had a shocker including being outmarked one on one late in the game for his opponent to kick the winning goal.

[dejavoodoo44]

Good luck to him but I doubt he will make it back into the AFL. In our case, Campbell seems a similar type of player, smallish half-back left footer, but just far more talented.

I wouldn't entirely rule it, but more of a supplementary pick, if some team loses a few outside runners. I doubt if anyone would spend a draft pick on somebody with an unfortunate injury history, when they can take a promising youngster. Zac Foot has been flying with Southport in the VFL. Perhaps he's more of a chance, as I felt he was unlucky to be delisted.

[KSAS]

Damian Barrett & Sarah Ollie discuss 40th Anniversary of South Melbourne moving to Sydney in their AFL podcast.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4pP...Sj64TsAhHc5QUA

[Aprilbr]

I wouldn't entirely rule it, but more of a supplementary pick, if some team loses a few outside runners. I doubt if anyone would spend a draft pick on somebody with an unfortunate injury history, when they can take a promising youngster. Zac Foot has been flying with Southport in the VFL. Perhaps he's more of a chance, as I felt he was unlucky to be delisted.

Yes Foot is probably more of a chance than Ling. The way footy has evolved, speed and running are everything. The latter has plenty of those attributes.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

Damian Barrett & Sarah Ollie discuss 40th Anniversary of South Melbourne moving to Sydney in their AFL podcast.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4pP...Sj64TsAhHc5QUA

What a load of lazy revisionist twaddle. About what one would expect from an ex Murdoch hack turned AFL flack.

[bloodspirit]

I was at the Carlton v Port game yesterday and was amazed how well George Hewitt played for Carlton. He never played a game like that for us! More of a handy shutdown mid with us but for Carlton he was in everything and quite offensive. On the other hand, Aliir had a shocker including being outmarked one on one late in the game for his opponent to kick the winning goal.

George didn't win the Adam Goodes Medal for finishing 2nd in our B&F for nothing! He's a beaut player. Many of us were sorry to see him go, but I am happy to see him thriving. We were certainly making an informed choice when we decided he was surplus to our requirements, so I hope we're vindicated!

[Aprilbr]

What a load of lazy revisionist twaddle. About what one would expect from an ex Murdoch hack turned AFL flack.

Yes, I listened to it and not a lot of deep insights there. Interestingly, I had lunch recently with Greg Miller whom many will remember here as a former South player and recruiting officer. He went on to be CEO at North during the 1990s and Head of Football at Richmond. He told me that he still has affection for us despite pinching Carey and Longmire off of us when he was working at North.

Miller has much deeper insights into the move to Sydney than Damo. He told me that in that first season in Sydney, around 15 players trained in Melbourne and commuted up to Sydney for games and the rest relocated. Damo suggested that they all commuted from Melbourne for games - this is factually incorrect - only some did.

Miller also said that the Melbourne clubs were right into the better Swans players from late in the final season at South. As we know, several crossed to other clubs, most controversially, Foschini and Paul Morwood to St Kilda. He also said that he was up in Sydney in those very early days of the move, but the AFL brought in Alan Schwab to run the show and so Miller and Tony Franklin left. He said the AFL gave the new club no capital which meant they soon started to struggle financially again. At the time, he doubted they could survive in hostile territory but is glad that he was wrong.

He also told me about his career as a player. He played at fullback from the early to mid-70s. We were a weak team for most of that period so he was busy down back and played on all of the gun forwards of that era including McKenna and Hudson. Our best players by far then were Peter Bedford and Norm Goss. His playing career was cut short by a knee injury that still gives him grief to this day. He is now enjoying semi-retirement living down Sandringham way after retiring from CEO of Greyhound Racing Victoria. A great guy to have a chat to and loves his punting. Interestingly, he was recently up in Sydney to receive an award from the Swans for his contribution during those early times of the move.

[bloodspirit]

Thanks for that rich, newsy post, Aprilbr.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

He also said that he was up in Sydney in those very early days of the move, but the AFL brought in Alan Schwab to run the show and so Miller and Tony Franklin left.

I don't think it's possible to actually safely discuss Alan Schwab's behavior in a public forum, without having to constantly include phrases like "it's rumoured" or "it is alleged" twice in every sentance to try to avoid libel threats. So let's just say it was't an entirely successfull apointment?